To be Juliet

On 5 March, the principal female role in the ballet Romeo and Juliet will be danced by Natalia Osipova. Over a year has passed since the first performances of the production; at that time, Osipova’s Juliet attracted the attention of the auditorium like a magnet. “This striking ballerina achieved the impossible”, wrote a rapturous Kommersant critic. “While retaining all the graceful details of the choreographic text, she filled Shakespeare’s story with a tragic power.”

As she returns to the part, which she calls “one of the most important” in her career, Natalia Osipova says,
“I love this ballet and the part of Juliet with all my heart. It is absolutely my ballet, one of my best roles. I try to combine emotion and passion, choreography and musicality, so that everything comes together in a single whole. Prokofiev’s music takes me to such a level of sensuality and emotion that I want to dance and actually be Juliet at the same time. It is something that is quite inexplicable. It is to me, at least.

Returning to the production after a long break is, of course, not easy, emotionally or psychologically. I spent a lot of time creating this production with the choreographer and my partners. As for the spirit of the role, it is always there, even after undertaking such difficult work.

Romeo and Juliet is to be performed as part of the Golden Mask Festival, but for me, the most important reward is the gratitude of the audience. I am looking forward to dancing with my partner, the phenomenal Leonid Sarafanov, and the dancers of the Mikhailovsky Theatre. I have a sincere desire to dance this ballet in St. Petersburg. It is an opportunity I cannot pass up.”

Romeo and Juliet has been nominated for the Golden Mask for Best Ballet Production. Along with Natalia Osipova’s nomination as Best Actress, Leonid Sarafanov (as Romeo) has also been nominated for the award of Best Actor in Ballet. Mikhail Tatarnikov is among the nominees for Best Conductor in Ballet.

The rehearsals prior to the series of performances in March will be conducted personally by choreographer and producer Nacho Duato, who is currently staging a production for the Martha Graham Dance Company but will cut his work in New York short to return to St. Petersburg for a while.